A Common Trend:DecliningMembership

AAM is a hybrid organization that offers
both institutional and individual memberships. It reached an all-time high in
institutional memberships in December

2000. From that point forward, it has
seen a steady decline of institutional
members in the range of 2 percent to 3
percent per year.

The membership decline and the 2008
recession, both of which impacted non-dues revenue, put a strain on the organization’s budget. If AAM were to continue
operating under the status quo, the association knew, its financial future would be
dim. Disruptive change was needed.

Faced with financial facts, AAM
embarked on a transformational journey.

Among other changes, the organization
decided to redesign its membership
structure. With nearly 40 percent of its
budget potentially impacted, this was a
bold move, yet senior leaders and board
members alike agreed it was necessary.

Old Structure: OneSize Fits All

AAM’s former institutional benefits structure was flat, with dues ranging from

$100 to $15,000 depending on themuseum’s operating budget. Museumbenefits were similar to the individualmembership offering, making it difficultto justify the costs associated with theinstitutional package. In addition, manymuseums “self-discounted” their dues,so they were already paying reducedmembership fees. Others were not ableto maintain memberships in both AAMand their discipline-specific museumorganizations; faced with an “either/or”decision, members too often chose theother guy.

Sources of Inspiration

Before deciding on a course of action,
AAM examined the following associations’ dues structures: Association of
Science-Technology Centers, Association
of Children’s Museums, Association for
State & Local History and the Associa-

askaround

T he American Alliance of Museums, formerly the American Association of Museums, recently embarked on a bold change to revamp its membership and dues structure. Rather than the usual modest annual dues in- crease, AAM undertook sweeping changes — examining other groups for inspiration.